WP1 includes the management of the project's resources regarding the deployment and manipulation of human, financial, technological and natural resources. WP1 involves the following (1) supervision of project vision and strategy, (2) management of resources (3) execution of relevant decisions, (4) coordination of internal procedures and communication, (5) execution of administrative actions both internal and with Commission, (6) supervision of external activities, and (7) supervision of gender equality. The beginning of the project includes a training phase in which networking and mutual interaction of the project partners and methods reaching from management (WP1), over integument characterization (WP2), transfer of microstructures to hard surfaces by laser-processing (WP3) to scale-up to cm2 size (WP4) will be tested with the known and understood microstructures of lizard scales. This training phase ends with milestone M1.

WP2 "Organic Materials" concentrates on the characterization and structuring of soft organic materials as the scales from lizard exuviae, the cuticles of bark bugs and their replications in polymer materials. The functional characterization includes the analysis of the topology, the wetting properties, the chemical composition, and the biological mechanistic function of the animal integument. The WP is sub-divided in the Tasks 2.1 characterization lizard skin, 2.2 characterization bug cuticle, 2.3 polymer replica of bug cuticle, 2.4 laser-processed polymer model, and 2.5 theoretical modelling. Task 2.1 ends at month 6 with milestone M1. Then the work concentrates only on bug cuticles (Task 2.2), which will aim to understand the biological mechanism for the fluid transport out of the capillaries onto the plates (M2). Task 2.3 and 2.4 aim to produce polymer replica of the bug cuticle, to obtain structures for optimized fluid transport (M6).

WP3 focuses on self-organized laser-induced structure formation (microcones, ripples) on hard inorganic materials like, silicon, steel, bronze and titanium alloys (FORTH, Fraunhofer IPT, BAM) and includes the tasks 3.1 Laser-based mimicking of lizard structures, 3.2 Laser-based mimicking of bug structures, 3.3 Characterization of fluid transport (FORTH only) and friction/wear (BAM only), and 3.4 Complementary modelling of ultrafast laser-induced periodic surface structures. Task 3.2 will mimic the topography and water transport function of the bug cuticle (milestone M5). If successful, these structures will be up-scaled and integrated into the bearing design in WP4. Task 3.2 also includes the activities for clarification of the role of topographic micro- and nano sub-structure and will be active until project end.

WP4 aims at fabricating fast fluid transport areas of several cm2 on non-flat hard substrates. Task 4.1 large area laser structures includes the extension of surface structures over large areas in inorganic materials using the processing parameter space identified in WP3 and employing high power, high repetition rate lasers and beam scanning reaching areas of at least 1 cm2 (M3). If M3 is passed successfully, the areas with laser-induced microtextures will be scaled up in Task 4.2 up to manufacturing size, which is given by the demonstrator decided in milestone M4. Task 4.3 proof-of- principle slide bearing includes the activities to design and test the demonstrator.

The commercialization and economic exploitation of the results will be beyond the frame of the project. Nevertheless, the partners are aware of the protection of intellectual property rights and will take measures to avoid pre-mature publications. The details will be regulated in an appropriate consortium agreement. However, the partners agree that publication of results should be possible in all cases, eventually after submission of a patent application (and as long as the defined confidentiality agreement is kept).

The dissemination activities will be planed and documented in a dissemination plan, which will be updated continuously within the project. A final report will summarize all dissemination activities.